In an article written by Jenna Pruett titled, Sorry, John MacArthur. We’re Not Going Home, she writes,
MacArthur is a committed complementarian. He holds to the idea that men and women have different roles in the church but are still equal. How exactly this equality is preserved within a markedly hierarchical system in which women are blocked from occupying the highest ecclesial positions is anyone’s guess.
Seriously?!? She fails to grasp how men and women can be equal while having different roles and responsibilities? Is she kidding? Wow! Okay, let us take a moment to utilize that organ God placed between our ears and think. Are an employer and an employee equal? Yes, they are. They have different hierarchical positions and roles, yet they are equal in personhood, dignity, and worth. Are a master and a slave equal? Yes, they are. They have different hierarchical positions and roles, yet they are equal in personhood, dignity, and worth. Are parents and children equal? Yes, they are. They have different hierarchical positions and role, yet they are equal in personhood, dignity, and worth. So are men and women equal? Yes, they are. They have different hierarchical positions and roles, yet they are equal in personhood, dignity, and worth. How do you not get that? It could not be made, or understood, any simpler.
Has this woman bothered to read the Bible? Apparently not, because several passages make it clear that “the man/husband is the head of a/the woman/wife” (1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:23) and that “Christ is the head of every man” (1 Cor. 11:3) and “Christ is the head of the church” (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18), and that “God is the head of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:3). How many times is the woman told to submit to, be subject to, and be submissive to her husband? At least five times (1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Pet. 3:1)! That is hierarchy. Even in the Godhead, the Trinity, there is hierarchical positions and roles, yet Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal. It is a simple concept to grasp. What is Ms. Pruett’s excuse? Apart from willful ignorance (being dumb on purpose).
These women who think God called them to be pastors or that Jesus or the Holy Spirit told them to preach are being rebellious and disobedient toward God and His Word, rejecting Scripture and shaking their impudent little fists at God, saying, “I know better than You, God. I’m a higher authority than You.”
Deborah was a defender of Israel. From her story, you could have justification for a Joan of Arc, but you could not have justification for a female Charles Spurgeon. That is eisegesis. Priscilla (Acts 18:26) was not a pastor. Aquila and Priscilla were husband and wife, and together they took Paul aside and taught the way more accurately. Priscilla was under the leadership of her husband. Phoebe (Rom. 16:1) was not a pastor. She was a deaconness, a servant of the church, which is permitted by the Bible (1 Tim. 3:11). Junia (Rom. 16:7) was not a pastor nor an apostle. The phrase "outstanding among the apostles" does not mean that she was an apostle. It means that her reputation and deeds were recognized by the Apostles; that she was esteemed, admired, or well-thought-of among them. You cannot force your agenda upon whatever piece of Scripture you think will take it. That is like fools who argue that tattooing is fine because Paul said, "I bear the marks of Christ upon my body" (Gal. 6:17), or the fools who argue that Christ was a vampire because He said, "He who . . . drinks My blood has eternal life" (John 6:54). The worst possible argument for women pastors? The talking donkey. Sure, it was a female donkey. But what does the Bible say? It spoke with what? A male's voice (2 Pet. 2:16). Hmm... How odd.
There is nothing "God-given" about these womens' platforms. These women are rebellious and disobedient against the Word of God, thinking that they know better than God and that they are a higher authority than God. Francis Shaeffer said, "Tell me what the world is saying today, and I'll tell you what the church will be saying in seven years." The church is imitating the world rather than setting herself apart as God intended and imitating Christ. God did not call these women to be pastors, and Jesus did not tell them to preach. Their own voices inside their own heads, which they falsely attribute to the Holy Spirit or Jesus, convinced them that they should do so apart from and against Scripture. After Paul says what he says in 1 Corinthians 14:33-35, he rhetorically asks, "Was it from you, women, that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only, women?" He then responds with, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet [or a preacher] or spiritual, let him [or her] recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment. If anyone does not recognize this, he [or she] is not recognized." Women are not allowed to preach or be elders. God commands you to be silent for a reason.
#GoHome #StayHome